LOCAL AND GENERAL

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 79, Issue 7136, 23 November 1949, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Reports Held Over Owing to extreme pressure on the available space in this issue, many reports of local interest have been held over until Friday’s issue. •

Maoris Very Good Farmers Most of the Maoris in the Parawera district were very good farmers said Mr Wall at Monday’s meeting of the Waipa County Council.

Population of Borough That the population of the Borough as at the Ist April, 1949 was 3390 was the information given to Monday night’s meeting of the Borough Council by the clerk, Mr J. W. Palmer who stated that those figures were official.

Mr Sim “Held Up” Presentation of prizes at the Cambridge R.S.A. Golf Tourney by Mr G. F. aim, M.P., was delayed due to “a.w.l” tactics on the part of several of the prize-winners. Th£y were eventually located talking to a man with two pennies in his hand!

Prince Charles’ Pony Cloudy, the five-month old black Shetland pony presented by Sally Williams, of Bristol, to Prince Charles, will first go to Sandringham, where Prince Charles will see him for the first time. He will be 18 months old before he is tried with a basket saddle outfit, a substitute for the time being for a saddle on which Prince Charles will ride astride.

Mr Burfitt at Puahue Mr Burfitt, Labour candidate for the Waikato electorate, addressed a small meeting at Puahue last night. Hp spoke on similar lines to those w’hich have already been published in the Courier. Mr W. Taylor was the chairman of the meeting at the end cf w’hich a hearty vote of thanks was accorded the speaker and also to the chairman.

Grant To Karapiro Lake Domain The Waipa County Council on Monday decided to make a grant of £lO towards the preliminary expenses of the Karapiro Lake Domain Board. It was stated that the project had already cost £l6OO but it was forecast that in future it would be self-sup-porting and would be a national asset. The grant was made without prejudice. All Classes

There were no former Communists or pacifists among the National Party candidates, said Mr S. I. Jones, National candidate for Hastings. The candidates were drawn froip all sections—wage and salary earners, professional men, farmers and businessmen. The party was one for the ordinary man, not big business or vested interests, and it had 220,000 voluntary members.

Pupils of Labour Party “The National Party have adopted all the legislation of the Labour Party barring one of tw r o things,” said Mr Burfitt speaking at Puahue last night. He added that the National Party had been the pupils of the Labour Government for the past 14 .years. Now the pupils wanted to dispense with their teacher and take over themselves because they thought they knew more than their teacher. Increased Building Costs

The average cost of dwelling units erected for the year 1948-49 was £1716, compared with £929, in 193839, according to the monthly Abstract of Statistics for September. Building permits, including State premises, of a total value of £26,430,453 were issued in 1948-49, an increase of £5,003,828, or 23.4 per cent, over the 1947-48 figure, and of £14,303,995, or 118 percent over 1938-39. Pukeatua War Memorial The Commissioner of Crown Lands, in a letter that was before Monday’s meeting of the Waipa County Council, desired to know if the Council would have any objection to having vested in it a small portion of the Pukeatua Domain which was required to erect thereon as a war memorial, an Undenominational Church. The matter * was referred back to the Pukeatua settlers and Cr Harding is to furnish a report to the next meeting of the Council.

Racecourse Road A petition signed by 14 ratepayers was before Monday’s meeting of the Waipa County, Council asking that consideration be given to the sealing of Racecourse Road from the bridge to the racecourse so as to obviate the dust nuisance and improve the surface of the road. The engineer said he would prepare a report and estimates. When the question as to where the money would come from to do the work, one Councillor jocularly suggested that it should come from the “tote.”

No Lands Office For Hamilton Owing to the lack of suitable premises the proposal to open a separate lands and deeds registry at Hamilton will probably be held up for some years. The district land registrar at Christchurch, Mr W- E. Brown, has for the past two months, been investigating the desirability of the move from Auckland. He considers that new buildings would have to be built to establish the office successfully. It has been suggested in the meantime that records held at Auckland be divided into north and south sections. This, it is understood, will require the passing of a special Statute. About one-third of the three million records held at Auckland concern the South Auckland district.

I Chinese Gardens * Mr F. Jenner, District Health Ini soector, advised the Waipa County Council on Monday that he had I herved 17 notices on various owners of property in the Chinese market garden area at Melville to effect repairs to the individual Maori houses. Mr Jenner stated that the owner had already made good progress in erecting a new three-roomed cottage and when it was completed it would house a Maori family and the vacant shack would be demolished. It was the intension of that owner to carry the scheme through until the existing shacks were replaced. Cr Houchen said that the gardens on Houchen’s Road were likely to be vacated early next year and he understood that there was only one occupant in huts at those gardens, tfye occupier being a Chinese.